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NATS records lowest delay for January

NATS handled a total of 152,930 flights in January, an increase of 3.1% compared to the same period last year and in spite of the period of severe weather that the UK has experienced.

NATS attributable delays for the same period totalled 1,068 minutes, a decline of nearly 50% when compared to January 2013 and the lowest January total since records began in the mid 1990s.

99.9% of flights experienced no delay as a result of NATS attributable regulations.

Looking at all flights handled by NATS in UK airspace, the domestic market saw a decrease, of 1.3%.

All other markets however recorded growth throughout January with the Transatlantic routes seeing an increase of 4.1% and all other markets increasing by 4.5%.

Eleven out of the fifteen UK airports where NATS operates air traffic control recorded an increase in instrument flight rules (IFR) traffic.

Cardiff saw growth of 15.8% and London City also grew by 8.1%.

Martin Rolfe, Managing Director Operations, NATS, said: “Delay figures have been at an all time low for this time of year, which is great news for our airport and airline customers and their passengers.”

“January overall has been a positive month for NATS, which despite the bad weather, has seen traffic rise alongside growth in the majority of market segments and an increase in instrument flight rules traffic at the majority of UK airports where we operate air traffic control.”